John McCarthy corrects Daniel Cormier for saying the referee's count was 'crazy slow' when Deontay Wilder knocked down Tyson Fury

Daniel Cormier believes that Tyson Fury was given an unfair chance to get back up when Deontay Wilder knocked him down. However, referee 'Big' John McCarthy set the record straight when he gave 'DC' an officiating lesson.

Cormier echoed the sentiments of boxing legend Andre Ward, who said referee Russell Mora was slow with his 10-count, giving Fury more time to recover. But according to McCarthy, Cormier and Ward were both mistaken. The former UFC official took to Twitter to say:

"I love ya DC, but you have to know the rules before saying the ref was wrong, Unified Rules of Boxing state 'Keep an eye on the standing boxer and make sure he stays in neutral corner. If boxer comes out, STOP THE COUNT, put boxer back into neutral corner and then resume counting.'"

Despite the controversy, referee Mora was just following the the letter of the law when he ordered Deontay Wilder to go to a neutral corner. The unified rules state:

"When a knockdown occurs, the downed boxer's opponent shall go to the furthest neutral corner and remain there while the count is being made.The referee may stop counting if the opponent fails to go to the neutral corner, and resume the count where he/she left off when the opponent reports to or returns to the neutral corner."

Tyson Fury was able to recover, rally back and ultimately secure a knockout victory in the 11th round to defend his WBC and The Ring heavyweight titles. It marked the second time Fury had stopped Wilder. 'The Gypsy King' put Wilder away in their 2020 rematch after their first go-round had concluded in a controversial draw.

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What's next for Tyson Fury?

After three classic battles with Deontay Wilder, Tyson Fury has emerged as the biggest heavyweight star in boxing today. According to Fury's father, John, the only opponent that makes sense for 'The Gypsy King' is Oleksandr Usyk.

Usyk currently holds the unified WBA, IBF, WBO and IBO heavyweight titles after defeating Anthony Joshua in September. Tyson Fury was originally scheduled to fight Joshua, but a rematch clause in Wilder's contract forced the trilogy bout.

However, fighting Usyk may not be easy for Tyson Fury. The Ukrainian has a rematch clause with Joshua. Fury, on the other hand, must face his WBC mandatory challenger Dillian Whyte next.